Steam box



W. H. COOK Dec. 21, 1937.

STEAM BOX Filed July 24, 1935 llllllrll/lll/l/ I $22111,wlllllzzixxxmlwillzllll.

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William H. Coo

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 21, 1937 STEAM BOX WilliamH'. C'ook, Collier City, Fla-u assignor to FredFear & Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 24, 1935, Serial No. 32,843

7 Claims.

sertedthrough an opening which must be closed and bolted before the pressure can be applied there is considerable lossof time in, each operation aswell as a great deal of extra work.

A feature of this invention is the provision of means for filling a steam box quickly and efficiently, applying theisteam, extracting the juice,

and discharging the open mollusks without the necessity of manipulating heavy parts at each filling of the box.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of means for washing the mollusks automatically during the operations of filling and emptying the steam box.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus for filling the steam box, and box itself, means for applying steam to open the mollusks, extracting the juice, and discharging the contents of the box into means for shuffling the mollusks to separate the meats from the shells; and

Figure 2 is a cross section along the lines 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The apparatus will preferably be located at the waters edge, so that a boat may draw up to the dock] and the mollusks may be shoveled or otherwise supplied to the receiving box 1. This is preferably done by the use of an endless conveyor onto which the mollusks will be shoveled, and which will deliver them to the box I. Water may be sprayed on the mollusks while they are on the belt to wash all loose sand and other particles therefrom.

The receiving box I has an opening 2 therein which is hinged at 3 and provided with a knob 4, by which it may be opened in order to insert the mollusks. A baffle 5 directs the mollusks to an endless chain belt 6, which moves on pulleys ;l and 8 to deliver the mollusks to the steam box 9. The box I is filled with water I9, approximately to the level shown, so that it seals the outlet from the steam box and prevents steam from escaping through the box I. The box I will preferably be large enoughwlth respect-to the box 9 so that enough mollusks may be shoveled into the box I to fill the box 9. This does not I mean that the box I has to be as large as the box 9, as the belt 6 will be operated as soon as any mollusks are supplied to the box I, and will continuously deliver the mollusks to the box 9 while the shoveling operation continues.

The box I is provided with a suitable opening and fastening means therefor indicated generally at 32 so that the box may be emptied and cleaned when desired. c

As the belt '6 operates it will agitate the'water and the mollusks, and thus Wash themfurther as they rise through the water for delivery to the box 9. Thebox 9 is provided with an opening and ,a closure I I therefor, which may bra-fastened bysuitable means indicated generally at I2 for the purpose of cleaning. Other openings may of course be provided if desired. Steam is supplied to the box through a pipe I4 having a valve I5 to regulate the supply. A sliding gate or baffle I6 is' attached to a lever I1 pivoted at I8 and passes through an opening in the box 9 to close the lower end thereof. The box 9 is filled with mollusks with the gate Win the position shown.

An outlet pipe 2|, having a valve 22 is provided to carry ofithe juice from the mollusks, which is gathered in a suitable receptacle under the outlet of the pipe 2|. When the box 9 is filled with mollusks the steam is turned on by manipulation of the valve I5. There will be considerable condensation of steam, which is permitted to escape. After several minutes the 35 mollusks will begin to open and the pure juice will be obtained. This is caught in a receptacle placed under pipe 2|. After the mollusks are all opened the valve I5 is closed and the juice permitted to run through the pipe 2|.

The gate I6 is then opened by the manipulation of the lever I! to permit the mollusks to leave the box. As they start to descend many of them will turn over, and additional juice will run from the shells. A trough 23 is provided around the edges of the lower end of the box 9, and this trough communicates with an outlet pipe 33 having a valve 34 thereon. The valve 34 will be opened and the juice running through the pipe 33 will be caught in the same receptacle as that which caught the juice running through pipe 2| The mollusks will fall through the bottom of the box, and onto an endless belt 24 which delivers them to another belt 25. The mollusks leaving the box 9 will fall into a. smaller box 26 which is an integral part of the box 9, and which is filled with water 27 approximately to the level shown to seal the outlet against loss of steam which may escape around the gate 16. V

The mollusks are delivered to the belt 25 beside which is mounted a second belt 3| and the belts 25 and 3! are provided with suitable diverting and shufiling members to separate the meats from the shells, as disclosed in the application of Doxsee and Cook, Serial No. 690,050, filed September 19, 1933 which is now Patent No. 2,008,820, issued July 23, 1933.

The box 26 is of course also provided with suit able drainage means so that the water therein may be changed when desired. As the molluskswill sometimes have sand or other foreign ingredients within the shells, the water 27, which is agitated by the belt 2 3 in the same manner that the water 'the juice of said mollusks from said box, an inlet through which said box may be filled, and means for Washing the mollusks supplied to said box, said means providing a Water seal for said inlet.

3. A box for steaming mollusks, means for supplying ste'am. to said box, means for draining the juice from said box, means comprising a bafile for restraining said mollusks while being steamed and diverting the juice to the juice outlet, and means for moving said bailie to permit the ,re-

moval of the mollusks after they have been steamed.

4. A box for steaming mollusks, means for draining the juice of said mollusks from said box, an inlet for said box, an outlet for said box, an endless belt for supplying mollusks through said inlet, an endless belt for delivering mollusks throughsaid outlet, a water seal for said inlet, and a water seal for said outlet. 7

5. In combination a box for steaming mollusks and means for supplying mollusks to said box comprising a second box filled with water, and an endless belt between said boxes whereby by a single operation said mollusks may be washed and delivered to fill'said steam, box.

' 6. A box for steaming mollusks comprising an inlet and an outlet, means for supplying mollusks through said inlet, means for delivering mollusks through said outlet, means comprising a bafile for restraining the mollusks and diverting the juice thereof to 'a point where it may be collected, and means for operating said bafile to control the delivery of said mollusks from said box.

'7. Apparatus for steaming mollusks comprising, a supply box filled with Water, a steam box, an endless belt connecting said boxes, an enclosure for said belt which, together with the supply box forms a water seal for the input to the endless belt, a bafile within said steam box for retaining said mollusks within said box and divertin their juice when opened, means for supplying steam to said steam box to open said mollusks, means for removing said baflle, a third box into which said mollusks release on the removal of said baflle, said third box being filled with water, an endless belt for removing said mollusks from said third belt, and an enclosure for said endless belt cooperating with said third box to form. a Water seal for the outlet from said third box.

WILLIAM H. COOK. 

